House panel subpoenas ex-Trump aides Flynn, Gates

Michael Flynn, retired US Army Lieutenant General and briefly served as the twenty-fifth National Security Advisor for President Donald Trump, Photo Date: January 10, 2017 / Source: U.S. Institute of Peace

By ERIC TUCKER and MICHELLE R. SMITH Associated Press&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Thu 6:01 AM, Jun 13, 2019&nbsp|&nbsp

Updated: Thu 9:48 AM, Jun 13, 2019

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed former White House national security adviser Michael Flynn and former Trump campaign aide Rick Gates as part of its investigation into Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 election.

Committee Chairman Adam Schiff says in a statement Thursday the committee is examining "deep counterintelligence concerns" raised in special counsel Robert Mueller's report and "requires speaking directly" with Flynn and Gates, who were important witnesses for Mueller's investigation.

The California Democrat says it's "unacceptable" that Flynn and Gates haven't cooperated with Congress. He says the American people "deserve to hear directly" from them. They're being subpoenaed for documents and testimony.

Flynn has hired a new lawyer, a former federal prosecutor who has earned the praise of President Donald Trump and repeatedly denigrated the Russia investigation.

Trump took notice of Flynn's new legal representation, calling Sidney Powell a "GREAT LAWYER" and wishing luck to them both on Twitter.

Powell responded, "Thank you Mr. President!!" and "I'm honored."

The change in lawyers, especially to one with a publicly combative stance toward special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, may herald a shift in Flynn's legal strategy in the final stages of his case. And Trump's public praise of Flynn and his new attorney reflects the continued interest, and occasional sympathy, the president has shown for some of his former aides entangled in the investigation.

Flynn became a key cooperator for Mueller after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations during the presidential transition period with the Russian ambassador to the United States.

He was supposed to have been sentenced in December, but the hearing was abruptly cut short after Flynn asked to postpone it so that he could continue cooperating with the Justice Department and earn additional credit toward a reduced sentence.

Gates pleaded guilty to conspiracy and false statement charges related to Ukrainian lobbying and political consulting he did with ex-Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort, who's been sentenced to more than seven years in prison.

Powell has been an outspoken critic of Mueller's investigation. On Twitter, she advertises a T-shirt with cartoonish images of Mueller and his team bearing the slogan "Creeps on a Mission." She is also the author of a book titled "Licensed to Lie: Exposing Corruption in the Department of Justice."

She confirmed in an email to The Associated Press on Thursday that she was Flynn's new lawyer. Asked about a subpoena for his records and testimony announced Thursday by the House intelligence committee, Powell said, "The General is continuing to cooperate with the government" but otherwise declined to comment.

Mueller's investigation ended in April with a report that found no criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election in Trump's favor. But it did not reach a conclusion on whether the president had obstructed justice.

It is not clear how much additional legal work is required for Flynn as he awaits sentencing. In a recent court filing, Flynn's former lawyers, Robert Kelner and Stephen Anthony, revealed that they had been fired but they did not say why.

At Flynn's December hearing, U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan declared himself disgusted by Flynn and raised the question of whether his actions amounted to treason. He later backpedaled and said he didn't mean to suggest that they did.

Powell told The Associated Press in February that she was sitting with members of the Flynn family on the day of that hearing.

"I was absolutely stunned," Powell told AP. "The first thing that stunned me was that the judge had the facts all wrong. Here we are in a high-profile case like this involving false statements, and Judge Sullivan comes out with false information and a complete misunderstanding of the facts of the case, and he had the chance to prepare for it. I was flabbergasted."

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